Episode Details

What does it actually take to get your financial advisory business or fintech company featured in the media? According to Allie Zendrian — founder of AtoZ Communications and a former financial reporter at Forbes, Institutional Investor, and TheStreet — it comes down to one question most people never think to ask.

In this episode, recorded live at the Nitrogen Fearless Investing Summit in Denver, Colorado, Mike sits down with one of the most connected pros in the wealth management and fintech ecosystem. Allie brings a rare dual perspective: she spent years on the other side of the pitch email deciding what was worth covering, and now she helps advisors and fintech companies get their stories told.

Here's what you'll take away from this conversation:

• Why AI-generated press releases are quietly killing your credibility — and what reporters actually think the moment they land in their inbox.
• The single most important question to ask before you pitch any story, any reporter, or any media outlet. Hint: it has nothing to do with your product features or your latest announcement.
• Why advisors doing their own PR is "penny wise and pound foolish" — and what a more realistic, cost-effective approach actually looks like.
• How Allie built one of the most connected networks in the wealth management and fintech space in under two years, starting from her days at Forbes where she famously broke the ice with Steve Forbes himself by just treating him like a human being.
• The difference between a story that moves the needle and noise that nobody notices — and how to coach your clients to understand that difference.

Allie also opens up about building AtoZ Communications as a single mom, why she's choosing to grow deliberately rather than fast, and what she wants her kids to understand about the relationship between money, time, and work that matters to you.

Chapters:

00:00 — Cold Open: Why AI-Generated PR Is Killing Your Credibility

00:51 — Intro & Welcome

02:13 — From the Forbes Newsroom to the "Dark Side" of PR

05:31 — How Allie Built Her Network So Quickly

07:57 — What Advisors & Fintech Companies Get Wrong About Communications

11:23 — The One Question That Makes Something Newsworthy

17:03 — What's Next for AtoZ Communications

21:41 — Building a Business as a Single Mom — and the Lessons It's Teaching Her Kids

26:41 — How to Connect with Allie & Where to Find Her Work

27:47 — Mike's Closing Thoughts